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Tim Niland
Blues and Jazz ExaminerTim Niland is a lifelong jazz and blues fan, who
began blogging about music five years ago. In real life, he is a
public librarian living in New Jersey.
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These websites were picked by the Blues and Jazz Examiner as useful resources.- Steven Bernstein - Diaspora Suite (Tzadik, 2008)
- Ben Allison - Little Things Rule the World (Palmetto, 2008)
- Tony Malaby – Tamarindo (Clean Feed, 2008)
- Chris McGregor's Brotherhood of Breath - Eclipse at Dawn (Cuneiform, 2008)
- The Vandermark 5 - Beat Reader (Atavistic, 2008)
- Elmore James Jr. - Daddy Gave me the Blues (JSP, 2008)
- The Lester Young/Count Basie Sessions 1936-1940 (Mosaic, 2008)
- Fieldwork - Door (Pi, 2008)
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Showing entries for Category: electricblues
Elmore James – The Classic Early Recordings 1951-1956 (Ace 1993, 2007)
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by Tim Niland, Blues and Jazz Examiner
This three disc collection takes an extended look at the first half of the lamentably short recording career of the great blues slide guitarist and singer Elmore James. Disc one begins with James' most well known song, an adaptation of Robert Johnson's “Dust My Broom.” Propelled by a stinging slide riff and the swooping harmonica of Sonny Boy Williamson II, it became an unexpected hit and launched not only his career, but was the seed of many blues and rock 'n' roll ands to come. Many of the songs he was to record in the future were based upon this riff as producers tried to recapture the magic of that hit. But he was far from a one-trick pony, as shown by the likes of the fascinating instrumental “Hawiiian Boogie” where adapts aspect of the Hawaiian style of slack-key guitar playing to his own electric delta blues foundation. Other notable tracks on the first CD are the strong shuffle “My Baby's Gone” and the deeply emotional slow blues “I Held My Baby Last Night” As impressive as his guitar playing is, his vocals are eually important and hair-raising in their intensity.
Some singles featuring James as a sideman are also included, with him sitting in with saxophonist J.T. Brown on some jump blues, and The Bep Brown Orchestra on the ironic “Dumb Woman Blues.” The multiple takes and breakdowns found on discs two and three can be a little repetitive, but that is natural in order to pad out such a large collection. The vast majority of the music found here is electric blues of the highest order, like the scalding up-tempo boogie “Elmo's Shuffle” and the hyper-emotional ballad “Sho' Nuff I Do.”
The discs come with an excellent forty page booklet of essays, photos and discography. While this big set might not be the easiest way for a newcomer to discover James' great music, once you have fallen under his spell, it is a great place to dig deeper.
Topics: elviscostello , elmorejames , electricblues
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